Vacuum evaporator for saccharine and gelatinous liquids



(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 1.

y N. B.. RICE. VACUUM EVAPORATOR FOR SAGGHARINE AND GELATINOUS LIQUIDS;MILK, &c.

No. 347,381. Patented Aug. 17, 1886.

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Q (No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

- N. B. RICE.

VACUUM BVAPORATOR FOR SAGGHARINB AND GELATINOUS LIQUIDS, MILK, 8w.

Patented Aug. 17, 1886.

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N. B. RICE.

VACUUM EVAPORATOR FOR SAGGHARINE AND GBLATINOUS LIQUIDS, MILK, &c.

No. 347,381. Patented Aug. 17, 1886,

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. N. B. RICE. VACUUM EVAPORAI'OR FOR SAGGHARINE AND GELATINOUS LIQUIDS,MILK, 8x0.

' ed Aug. 17,1886.

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N. B. RICE. VACUUM EVAPORATOR FOR SAGUHARINE AND GELATINOUS LIQUIDS,MILK, &c.

No. 347,381. Patented Aug. 17, 1886.

a l? %M U UNITED STATES PATENT tries.

NATHANIEL B. RICE, OF OHIGAGQ ILLINOIS.

VACUUM EVAPORATOR FOR, SACCHARINE AND GELATINOUS LIQUIDS, MILK, &c.

SPECIFICATION forming part. 'of Letters Patent No 347,381, dated August17, 1886. Application filed October 20, 1884. Renewed Januaryfll, 1886.Serial No. b89344. (Nomodeh) To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, NATHANIEL B. Bron, residing at Chicago, in thecounty of Cook and State of Illinois, and a citizen of the UnitedStates, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in VacuumEvaporators for saccharine and Gelatinous Liquids, Milk, &c., of whichthe following is a full description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, in which- I Figure 1 is a vertical section online 00 x of Fig. 2; Fig. 2, a horizontal section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1;Figs. 3,4, 5, 6, and 7, details; Fig. 8, an end view with the section Bremoved; Fig. 9, an end View with the section 0 removed; Fig. 10, asimilar view with the pipeconnections all removed; Fig. 11, a verticalsection on line z z of Fig. 12, having an exterior case cylindrical inform; Fig. 12,'a crosssection of a cylindrical form, and Fig. 13 an .endview.

My invention relates to evaporators for operating on all substances andmaterials requiring evaporation-such as glue, meat extracts, milk,gelatinous liquids, saccharine juices, and other liquids or fluids.

v In the drawings,A indicates the middle sec-v tion of the exterior caseor shell; 13 0, end sections of the case or shell; D, partitions ortubeplates; E, exhaust pipe; a, steampipe; I), pipe for discharging thewater of condensation; a, liquid inlet pipe; d e f, dischargepipes forliquid; 9 h, inclined tubes for the passage of the liquid; i, j, and k,return tubes or troughs; Z, tubular projections on the return tubes ortroughs; m, holes at the ends of said tubes; n, tubes or, pipesconnecting the end sections together for exhaust purposes; 0, doors; p,sight or eye glasses.

The casing or shell A may be made of castiron, light boiler-plate, orother suitable sheet metal,and when made of cast-iron it will preferablybe made in the angular form shown in Fig. 1, and when made of plate orsheet metal it will preferably be made of the cylindrical form shown onsheets4 and 5; but both forms, if desired, may be made of either cast,plate, or sheet metal.

The casing A is provided with end plates, D, by which the tubes 9 h areheld in position and to which the tubes are tightly secured.

At each end of the middle casing I provide additional casings orsections, B C. These sections are substantially alike and may be curvedin form, as shown, or they may be angular. They are so constructed as tofurnish the necessaryspace for the return tubes or troughs i 70, or suchportion of them as may be used. These end sections are attached to themiddle section by suitable flanges and bolts, so that they may beremoved upon any occasion that may require access to the tubes ortroughs for purposes of repair, cleaning, or otherwise.

The tubes 9 71. are of ordinary metal tubing, and are about six inchesin diameter. They are so located in the heads or plates D as to havealittle pitch or downward incline. Those marked g are so inclined as tocause the liquid to how toward the end 13. Those marked h have anopposite incline, to cause the liquid to flow toward the end 0. Thesetubes, as shown in Sheets 1, 2, and 3, are connected by return tubes ortroughs, so as to make all of the tubes act upon a single stream ofliquid fiowin g through the apparatus or device. The

outer tubes together, the returns j connecting the inner tubes, whilethe returns it in the end B connect the outer tubes with the ones nextto them, as shown in Fig. 2. These returntubes are madein trough form,as-shown, and by making them in this form the vapors released byevaporation are permitted to escape,

and the exhaust given access to the tubes, so

as to act upon the returntubes and through the tubes g h. Thesereturn'tubes are provided with projections Z, as shown in Fig. 3, whichfit into the tubes of the middle section; but instead of this the tubesthemselves may be made to project beyond the heads or plates D, and fitinto holes m,- or both plans may be partly adopted-that is, the tube ofthe middle section may project into one end of the return-tube, and theopposite end of the return-tube may be fitted wit-h a projection or tubel, the projecting ends being located in accordance with the flowing ofthe liquid.

For insuring a free circulation for the exhaust, additional pipes a maybe employed to connect the two end sections together, so that suchvapors as become freed from the tubes may be exhausted without beingagain passed through the tubes containing the liquid, and a number ofsuch tubes may be employed; but four will usually be found sufficientfor the return 2', located in the end 0, connects the largest apparatus.The under side of the apparatus is provided with a discharge-pipe, (l f,by which the condensed liquid is carried off or disposed of. The pipes fwill be carried off a sutlicient length or be provided with traps in anysuitable manner, to prevent any reverse currents from the action of theexhaust. The pipe 0 is a side pipe, connected with the end section, 0,for passing off any liquid that may escape into that section.

The condensed or finished liquid may be made to flow directly to thepipe (I, or it may be discharged upon the bottom of the section 13. Therectz'ingular form shown is best adapted for use with short sections ofpipe or in restricted situations,where the use of long apparatus wouldnot be desirable, and when the length does not exceed eight or twelvefeet stay-bolts will not be necessary, but for longer ones stay-boltsmay be applied.

\Vhere the apparatus can be made of considerable length, the circularform shown at Fig. 11 is more desirable. Ah apparatus of this form isnow in use which is twenty-four feet in length and seventy-two inches indiameter, the tubes 9 h being twenty feet long and six inches indiameter, and they are so'located as to give them a pitch or incline oftwo inches, or a variation of four inches for each pair of tubes at theend 0, and two inches for each return-trough, making in all a descent ofeight inches. This apparatus is provided with two inlets for the liquid,as shown in Fig. 13, and is practically a double apparatus, as thereturn-tubes t are not used, the returnsJc being used at both ends. Thedoor in Fig. 13 is partly broken awayto show their location and pitch atthe end or section 0. At the section 13 they have only the same slightincline that they have in the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Instead of so constructing the end sections, 13 G, that they may beremovable, they may be provided with doors 0, as shown at Fig. 13, andthese doors should be provided with two or three sight or eye glasses,p, so that the action of the apparatus may be observed.

In operation the liquid flows into the upper tube, through the tubes orpipes c, at or near the section 0, from which it passes through the pipe1 to the return k in the end B, back through the tube h, through thereturn i to the tubeg on the opposite side, thence through the returnIt, through the tube h, and the re turnj to the next lower tube, g, onthe same side, and so on until it reaches the bottom. As before stated,in the form shown at Fig. 11, the returns 7; are the only ones used, sothat each side of the apparatus has independent action, and the liquidmakes a complete circuit in passing through two tubes and two returns.In either case it is designed that the liquid should be properlycondensed by the time it reaches the discharge d ready to pass offthrough the tube f.

The apparatus is heated by admitting either exhaust or live steam intothe shell or casing A through the tubea, and any water of condensationwhich may accumulate is drawn off or thrown out through the pipe I).

From the operation it will be seen that the casing A forms a middle orsteam section, by which the liquid is heated or its original heatmaintained, and the end sections, B 0, form exhaust-sections, by meansof which and through which the freed vapors are carried oft, and thatthe circuit of the liquid is through tubes, 2. part of which are closeand a part open, so that access is given to the action of the exhaustinto the open ones and through the close ones, so that the circuit oftheliquid is exposed to the action of the exhaust its entire length.

The exhaust is produced by a suitable application to the pipe E of anexhaust-fan,

pump, or other ordinary exhausting apparatus.

I am aware that a condensing apparatus has been composed of a casingcontaining a series of inclined pans; also, that an evaporating apparatus has been composed of a casing coir taining inclinedsteam-jacketed tubes alternately connected at their ends by pipes orchambers; and also that a condenser has been composed of two cylindershaving an intervening steam-space and the interior cylinder containing acontinuous spiral channel. Such features, therefore, I do not claim.

IVhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is i 1.The combination of the middle or steam section, A, and the air and vaporsections 13 O, with the tubes 9 h, and open or trough return-tubes,substantially as specified.

2. The combination of the middle or steam section, A, and the endvapor-sections, l3 and C, with the inclined tubes 9 and h, the open ortrough return-tubes in the vapor or steam sections, and theexhaust-tubes a, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the middle or steam section, A, having theinclined tubes fit, with the returns 1, and k, and the exhaust endsections, B O, substantially as set forth..

4. The combination of the pipe 0 with the exhaust-section C and thedischarge-pipes df, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

5. The combination of the steam-section A, having the tubes g 7:, withthe exhaust-seetions B 0, having open returns, exhaust-pipe E, feed pipeor pipes a, and discharge-pipe d f, substantially as described.

6. The combination of the close tubes 9 h and steanrsection with opentubes, and one or more air or exhaust sections whereby anexhaust-circulation is produced throughout the entire circuit of theliquid, substantially as specified.

NATHANIEL l3. RICE.

'Witncsses:

O. W. BOND, lunar T. Jones.

ICO

